1. Field of the Invention
In the teaching of mathematics to beginning students, learning disabled children, and others having difficulty with mastering the concepts and rules of mathematics it is desirable to present the material in an enjoyable and successful manner. Traditional methods of teaching such as memorization of multiplication tables, basic addition facts, basic subtraction facts, and division facts in many instances has been very difficult for both the student and teacher.
It is therefore desirable to have a method of teaching and learning basic mathematical relationships which is less tedious than the traditional methods, and which is an enjoyable experience for the student. It is further desirable to have a method which provides measurable success for both the student and teacher. Finally, it is desirable to have a method of teaching which will provide the teacher with an alternative to the traditional method and which will allow a successful experience for both the teacher and the student.
2. Description of the Prior Art
French Pat. No. 857,260, published in 1940 discloses the use of two decks of cards, one deck having problem statements and the other having answers to be compared to the problem statement cards. The subject invention is a substantial departure from the French Pat. No. 857,260 because in this invention is is necessary for the user to know the answers to a plurality of problem statements in order to play a game by matching problem statements. In contrast, the French Pat. No. 857,260 requires only matching of a single problem statement with answer cards. Applicant's invention by eliminating answer cards adds a high degree of sophistication and complexity to the process of teaching mathematical principles through the use of cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,354,707 is another card game used to assist in the instruction of mathematics which like the French patent includes both problem statements and answers. In this game, the primary face of the card shown at the left hand of FIG. 1 of the U.S. Pat. No. 1,354,707 patent is the problem statement, and the other side (right side of FIG. 1) contains the answers to the problem statements. This is nothing more than the traditional flash cards with problems on one side and answers on the other. Since applicant's invention does not utilize answers, and only uses one side of the card for problem statements it is a radical departure from this prior art patent.
In addition to the above mathematical games, there is found in the prior art numerous card games used for teaching other concepts. These include: U.S. Pat. No. 2,607,595 which is a game based upon the traditional deck of cards and the electoral voting system; U.S. Pat. No.1,146,808 which is used for language instruction; U.S. Pat. No. 1,292,184 which is used for teaching facts relating to United States geography; U.S. Pat. No. 1,273,864 which is used to teach about authors; U.S. Pat. No. 133,296 which is used to teach about authors; U.S. Pat. No. 2,154,891 which is used to teach knots; U.S. Pat. No. 1,305,949 which is used to teach about bones; U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,651 which is used to instruct vocabulary, U.S. Pat. No. 1,381,643 which is used to instruct about presidents of the United States; U.S. Pat. No. 1,666,996 which is used to instruct geometry, U.S. Pat. No. 1,417,434 which is used to instruct states and their capitals, U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,189 which is used to play a game forming words; U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,348 which is based upon vocabulary, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,325 which requires the matching of illustrated articles with smells. The above art includes answer cards, and does not involve matching of problem statements with problem statements.